Three Days
by Canderous Ordo
Summary: Finshed!! My attempt at a Sonamy. Sonic's apartment gets burned out, and he must spend three days at Amy's... with three days till Valentine's Day... Takes place 2 weeks after Sonic's Black Op. Rated for some language. R&R Please!
1. Chance Meeting

A/N:  Okay, here we go, my sophomore effort.  This time, it's an attempt at a Sonamy fic, taking place a couple of weeks after the events of Sonic's Black Op., Or Operation Blackbeard.  And only the Miami group (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy) is in this.  Oi (takes a hard hit of his joint), well, here goes nothing!

Oh, yeah.  Since I don't know the official ages, here are mine:

      Sonic:  21

      Knuckles:  21

      Amy:  19

      Tails:  13

Disclaimer:  I own nothing!  You hear me?!  Nothing!

            North Miami Beach, Florida U.S.A.  Aventura Mall, parking lot.  February 11, 2002.  11:52 A.M.

      Sonic's 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 super bike revved up as he leaned back to do a wheelie before he prepared to do his clean sweep for a close parking.  For some odd reason, the police started to get nasty about bikers parking on the sidewalk.  It was stupid, he thought.  Of course, it was also stupid that motorcycles weren't supposed to be on the interstates, but that wasn't the point.

      The reason for his being at the mall:  he, Tails, and Knuckles had all reserved copies of Command & Conquer:  Generals for their computers (A/N:  on a side note, if you even remotely like strategy games, get Generals.  That game will kick so much ass.)  All three had been salivating over the game for months on end, and had just recently got their computers upgraded for the sole purpose of playing the game on high resolution without slowdown.  

      Sonic checked his watch.  11:54 A.M.  Just six more minutes before the first copies arrived at Electronics Boutique.

      During his clean sweep of the third column of parking spaces, a car caught his eye:  a red Dodge Neon.  Hang on a second; Amy has a red Dodge Neon!  He crept closer to read the plates.  Sure enough, Amy's personalized Dade County plate was on the back bumper.  "What's she doing here—dumb question."  Sonic remarked.

      Thinking about the girl also made his mind wander to the events that happened a couple of weeks ago, around his 21st birthday… and the kiss they shared before Operation Blackbeard began.  Sonic stopped his bike, shaking off the intruding thought.  "Write it off!"  He said through clenched teeth, emphasizing each word.  "It was just one simple, innocent kiss!  That's all!  End of story!  Book closed!"  Then if so, why do you keep thinking about it?  His inner self seemed to ask him.

      Sonic didn't want to think about it anymore; he just came here to get the game.  What better way to get something off your mind than to run away?  With a sigh, he was about to burnout, when his more practical mind got a hold of him.  On the other side of Amy's car was an open parking space.  After stewing over the possibility of a chance meeting with the girl for several moments, Sonic made up his mind.  "Oh, what the hell.  If I'm lucky, I'll be in and out before she realizes I'm here."  With that, he eased his bike into the empty parking space, stowing his helmet before he jogged in.

            Aventura Mall, Second floor.  Electronics Boutique.  11:58 A.M.

      Sonic looked nervously at his watch.  "Dammit, 12 o'clock!  Get here, now!" He hissed at it, as if that would accelerate time.  The longer he was here, the more the possibility of meeting Amy rose.  There was also a good-sized line at the counter, all waiting for Generals too, and Sonic was fifth in line.  He shifted his weight nervously, his gut started to get overactive, and he felt a fart start to work its way out.  So now, here he was, jittery, and tight assed from holding in a fart.

      Finally, mercifully, the first shipment arrived.  Sonic began doing some math in his head, muttering as he went along.  "Okay, there are four people in front of me.  Chances are, half will use a check or credit card.  Add in the X-factor—oh, screw it!"  He also felt something solid work its way down his large intestines.  Oh, yeah.  He'd have to hit the can afterwards, otherwise risk crapping on himself on the ride home.

      An excruciatingly long fifteen minutes later, it was Sonic's turn.  "Yeah, I have a reserve on three copies of Generals."

      The attendant, a male fox who looked like he just entered college, eyed him.  "Eh, yeah.  Sorry, Sonic.  The limit's one per customer."

      That irked the blue hedgehog to no end.  He seriously contemplated dragging the guy out back, putting him in a burlap bag, and beating him to an inch of his life.  But, he managed to suppress his violent tendencies.  "Look," he looked at the attendant's nametag.  "Chris, it ain't both my fault my roommates are lazy.  I even have their preorder receipts here."  He said calmly while rummaging through the left pocket of his cargo shorts.  "Here!"  He tossed them on the counter for the attendant to study.  Meanwhile, in his large intestines, Sonic could swear there was more liquid and gas in there than solid.

      The attendant looked up.  "Okay, I just need to see your driver's license."

      Sonic just looked at him.  What kind of shit is this?!  Fortunately, the colorful question didn't make its way to his voice box.  I'm just the guy who saved the planet a handful of times! Not to mention, helped rescue high-ranking U.S. and Russian officials a couple of weeks back!  Instead of spouting off, Sonic just flipped his Florida license on the counter.  Good thing they prepaid in full, Sonic mused.

      "Okay, I have you for two GLA (Global Liberation Army, the terrorists in the game that China and the U.S. have to crush in the game) box covers, and one Chinese cover."  The attendant stated, and Sonic nodded the affirmative.  "Would you like to buy the official Command & Conquer:  Generals strategy guide for only $7.99?  Otherwise, it'll cost you $14.99."

      "Fine."  Sonic almost snapped, and pulled out a twenty.  A few moments later, he got his change, grabbed his bag, and was out of the store before the attendant could say, "Have a nice day!"

      "Bathroom!  Bathroom!  Bathroom!"  Sonic weaved and strafed through the mall walkers on the way to the bathroom.  When he was stuck behind slow walkers he grinded on the railings, much to the intense ire of the mall security guards.  The food court was up ahead and with it, the bathrooms.  Meanwhile, inside his large intestines, he could feel something try to leak out, the dam starting to break.  He made a sharp left into the food court.  Seeing a clear path to the restroom in the back, he sprinted into the men's room, took a moment to find an empty and clean stall, got in, turned around, and pulled down his shorts.  His sigh of relief seemed to reverberate throughout the men's room.  "Y'know, if God's so merciful, why did He create diarrhea?"  He mumbled bitterly inside his stall.

      After he sat in his stall for a few minutes and wiped, he grabbed his stuff, washed his hands, and exited.  He stretched.  "Well, now that that's over, and Amy's nowhere to be seen, let me—"

      "Sonic!"  A certain voice called out.

      He sighed, knowing the voice was Amy's.  "Well, mission scrubbed."  He looked to his right by Che Pasta to see Amy waving at him smiling, wearing a GAP baby-T with a pair of blue jeans, holding a couple of bags from JC Penny's.  He weakly waved back, the earlier thought coming back.  "Well, might as well get this over with."  He sighed.  "It'd be rude to just skirt."  With hands behind his back, he began the slow walk to start the meeting he dreaded for the past twenty minutes, with Amy meeting him halfway.  Upon closer inspection, he saw a third smaller bag.  "Hey, what are you do—dumb question."  He muttered.  "Better yet, what are you shopping for?"

      Amy smiled, stowing her bags behind her back.  "Oh, this and that."  She raised an eyebrow.  "So, what brings you here?  You're not normally around here, are you?"

      What brings me here?  My bowels, he answered in his head.  Once again, his rational mind took over before his voice box received the answer.  "Normally?  I'm just here when the need arises."

      She grinned knowingly.  "And for some odd reason, that need always falls on a Tuesday."  From hanging out with the videogame-happy trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, Tuesday was usually the day new videogames arrived at stores.  "So, what game are you guys gonna waste your lives on now?"  She tried to look behind his back, but he shifted his position to block her view.

      He chuckled.  "What makes you think I bought a game?"  He asked innocently.  "I could've bought a new smoke detector."

      Amy rolled her eyes.  "Oh, please."  She tried to get behind him, but he kept turning to keep her in front of him.  She grinned.  "C'mon!  Fess up!  What'cha buy?"  She asked in a playful childish voice.  

      Eventually, she switched tactics.  Dropping her bags, she began giving him ticklish pokes on his unprotected stomach.  Sonic yelped in surprise and jumped back, giggling, still stowing the bag behind his back.  "Hey, no fair!  I—hehehe!  Can't de—eeep!  Can't defend my—seeeelf!"  

      Eventually, Amy had backed him against a wall, and began a full-blown tickle attack on his stomach.  "Tell me!"  She sang out.

      "AAAAHAHAHA!  Okayokayokay!!"  Sonic couldn't take any more, and brought his hands out to grab her tickling hands, as well as the small plastic Electronics Boutique bag bound around his left wrist.  "Alright, you win."  Sonic said, still giggling.  "We got Generals."  He slipped the bag off of his wrist, taking out all three boxes and handing them to her.

      Amy flipped one over.  "Oh, yeah!  This is the game you guys were raving over.  So, I guess I won't see or hear from you three again for about three months?"  She asked, handing the boxes back to him.

       Sonic chuckled, putting the boxes back in the bag.  "Riiiiiight.  Anyways, I gotta get back before Tails and Knuckles go into a panic attack."

      "Oh?  Where'd you park?"

      A small smile crept on his face.  "Right next to you."

      "Cool!  I'll walk with you then.  I'm about to go, too."

      They walked silently for a few minutes.  Finally, Amy spoke up almost at the door.  "So, how's your arm?"  She asked.

      Sonic snapped back into attention.  "Huh?  Oh."  Near the end of Operation Blackbeard, he suffered a gunshot wound in his right arm.  The good news is the bullet missed the bone.  "It's cool.  How about you?  I know you were pretty freaked out when we thought we were gonna die on that dropship."

      Amy nodded.  "I'm fine now."

      They were almost out the door, when the mall loudspeaker ran a jeweler store commercial about Valentine's Day and giving that special someone a gift they'd remember.  Sonic went numb.  He had forgotten all about Valentine's Day.  Then, the thoughts about that kiss they shared invaded his mind.  Dammit, get out of my mind, he screamed mentally.  He would have enough to worry about when Valentines Day arrived.

      "Valentine's Day's only three days away."  Amy stated, looking at Sonic, who looked a little preoccupied.  She frowned.  "What's wrong?"

      Sonic dismissed his thoughts, resolving to banish them later.  "Oh, it's nothing."  He knew she wouldn't buy just that.  "Just remembered I gotta do laundry, that's all."  He lied.  He looked around and noticed that their car and bike were right in front of them.

      Amy leaned against her car door.  "I'm guessing you're off today?"  She asked.

      Sonic nodded.  He held a part time job at the Port Of Miami driving forklifts (A/N:  Yeah, driving forklifts are fun.), and along with Knuckles, were also part time bounty hunters.  For that, their friends'd often ridicule them as rent-a-cops.  As much as they fight amongst each other, it's a wonder how they're able to work together.  "Yep.  And nothing much going on as far as bounties go; the drug scene has been quiet lately."  He smirked.  "I guessing someone has to go to work today, huh?"  He teased.

      Amy returned the smirk.  "Wrong!  I'm off, too."

       He shrugged.  "Well, I gotta go.  Tails and Knuckles are waiting."

      Amy pulled him into a brief hug, rubbing his back a couple of times.  "Don't stare at the screen too long."  She teased.

      Sonic watched her get in her car and pull off.  Then, the gravity of everything that transpired hit him.  The kiss, Valentine's Day only three days away.  Normally, he didn't give a rat's ass about the holiday.  Why's this year different?   "That damned kiss!"  He shouted.  "That's why!  Why can't it just go away!?"  He sighed, calming down.  "Okay, maybe if I do something to get my mind off of it, I'll be okay."  With that, he mounted his bike and donned his helmet, stowing the bag in the holding net.  "Well, I now have 72 hours to disappear."  He jokingly muttered before revving up his bike and popping a wheelie through the empty forward parking space and heading back to the pad.

A/N:  Well, how's that for a start?  Please leave your comments and such in review form, and I'll try to get another chapter up soon.  I still don't know how this'll play out.  Peace!


	2. Smoked Out

A/N:  (Looks at joint he's holding) Wow!  I don't know what's in this joint.  Whatever's in here, it really improved my writing abilities, not to mention motivate me to write a romance fic of all things.  Normally, I'd be the last person to do such a thing.  Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.  Hmm, if it worked last time, I wonder… (Takes an even bigger hit of the joint) *cough* *wheeze* *hack* *cough*!  Okay, too hard *cough* *cough* *cough*.  Alright, I'm cool.  Here we go!

Ages:

Sonic:  21

Amy:  19

Knuckles:  21

Tails:  13

Disclaimer:  Uhhh, I don't own a damn thing!

            _Miami, Florida U.S.A.  Sonic's apartment, balcony.  12:41 P.M. EDT.  Same day._

      Tails had been staked out on the balcony, waiting for Sonic anxiously.  In one hand, he had a set of binoculars taken from Operation Blackbeard, in the other, a can of Vanilla Coke.  Just recently, he had seen Amy return to her place across the street.  When he flew down to meet her, she told him about seeing him at the mall, and that he should be right behind her.

      Now, fast-forward half an hour.  Tails was still staked out on the balcony, peering into his binoculars every now and then.  Inside the apartment, Knuckles was laying lazily on the couch.  From one of the upstairs apartment, he had been hearing shower water running for the past twenty minutes.  Exactly what were they washing up there, the tarp at Pro Player Stadium?  Even at that, he didn't think it took that much water to wash that.  Anyway, back to Tails.  "Y'know the old saying 'a watched pot never boils'?"  The echidna asked through the open balcony door.

      Tails just glared at him.  "Uh, it's just a figure of speech.  Yeah, it'll boil.  You'll just get bored watching it."

      Knuckles smirked.  "Exactly.  So, why not chill out, and—" A familiar Indy car-like whine approached.  Now it was Knuckles' turn to get excited.  "Finally!  It's about damn time he got back!  Who does he think he is, making us wait for Generals?  I should—" Another thing caught his eye on the ground twelve stories down:  Sonic wasn't showing off like he normally did when he got back.

      Sonic could've arrived a lot sooner hadn't he taken the scenic route to buy time to think, and to let Amy get settled into her place so that he could slip into his building across the street undetected.  He let his bike coast as the thoughts cycled through his head.  "That kiss… Valentine's Day, three days away…that kiss… Valentine's Day, three days away… that—whoa!"  He got carried away in his thoughts and was shocked to see another car's rear end approaching fast.  Sonic hit the brakes so hard, the bike did a front wheelie, and he missed rear-ending the car by mere inches.  Sonic sighed deeply.  He had to deal with this before it consumed him.  "This can't be healthy."  He breathed.  He pulled up his helmet's visor.  His building along with Amy's could be clearly seen.  Yeah, his place, his computer, and his copy of Command & Conquer:  Generals.  He knew exactly how to get his mind off of it.  With that, he maneuvered around to the back of his building, and into the waiting parking garage.

      Ascending the twelve flights of steps was a simple matter for him, being the fastest thing alive.  A right turn from the stairwell later, apartment #1203 was in sight.  He unlocked, and opened the door, and was greeted by Knuckles and Tails.

      "Man, what took you so long?!"  Knuckles complained.  "I thought I had to come get you.  Anyways, did you get it?!"  He asked eagerly.

      "Yeah, did you?"  Tails repeated.

      Sonic smirked and pulled out the bag stowed in the waistband of his cargo shorts, much to the happiness of the other two.  "Who's ya daddy?"  He pulled out the covers.  "Alright.  Tails, you wanted the Chinese box cover, right?"  When the fox nodded, he gave it to him, and a GLA cover to Knuckles.  "Alright then, let's close the curtains, lock the door, and load'em up!"  Already, thoughts of Amy were being suppressed by the thoughts of scud launchers, carpet bombings, tomahawk missiles, and nukes.  Oh, yeah.  Problem solved, Sonic thought. 

      Tails just remembered something.  "Hey guys, I just remembered the food supply's low.  Maybe we should do a supply run before I start launching nukes on y'all."

      Sonic and Knuckles just rolled their eyes at the trash talk.  However, they did need to do a supply run.  According to Sonic, 'shopping' was only something women did.  Men did 'supply runs'.  Of course, it was just the terminology of the word.

      "Yeah, you're right, bro."  Sonic admitted.  "Well, let's knocked this out and get started."  With that, the three grabbed their wallets, and made their way to the nearest Kroger.

      Meanwhile, one floor up, the water continued to run…

_            Amy's apartment.  Same time._

      Sometimes, college was more trouble than it was worth, Amy mused.

      Right now, she was studying for a medical test where she had to name, and locate every single artery, vein, and capillary in the heart.  She could understand having to know the arteries and veins, but the capillaries?  Nobody cared about capillaries!  If one gets clotted, no big deal!

      But right now, she didn't feel like studying; she had other things on her mind… like a certain blue hedgehog.  The fact that Valentine's Day was fast approaching didn't help her train of thought either.  Every year, it was the same:  right around this time, he'd disappear somewhere to avoid her, only to pop up a couple of days after Valentine's Day with a half-assed excuse as to why she couldn't find him.  Last year, he had holed himself up at 'The Strip' (an abandoned airstrip, renovated and run by Sonic and gang.  For more info, read Sonic's Black Op, or Operation Blackbeard, Chapter 2) and found an underground command bunker that nobody else knew of and decided to survey it.  When he came back, he said he forgot what day it was and apologized.  She didn't think he'd recognize her as more than just a good friend.

      But, this year should be different, she thought.  Around two weeks ago right before Operation Blackbeard, the two shared their first mutual kiss.  It had left Sonic unsure of his feelings for her, and definitely made him notice her a lot more, especially when he was on that dropship that he thought was going to be a steel, jet powered coffin for about ten people.  Since then, he's definitely opened up to her more, gotten more mature.  But, don't get the wrong idea; he still has all the base qualities that make him the Sonic the Hedgehog she knows, and she knew he wouldn't change for the world.  Maybe that's why she's spent several long years in pursuit of his affection.  Maybe that's why she shrugged off her friends' comments that it was hopeless.

      Maybe that's why she loves him.

      Sighing, Amy set the anatomy book down, and moved to look out the window, towards Sonic's building across the street.  Five stories down on the ground, she could see the trio emerge from the building, cardboard boxes in hands.  They were probably heading for Kroger's to do some shopping, or a 'supply run' as Sonic put it, Amy thought with a small smile.  She saw a good-sized puddle on the sidewalk, directly under Sonic's apartment form.  She frowned.  Why is a puddle there?  She looked up to the sky.  Surprisingly, there wasn't a cloud in sight.  Hmm…

            _Meanwhile, in Sonic's apartment…_

      In Sonic's room, his computer, left on, rested under a ventilation shaft.  Through the shaft, water began to pour down… right onto Sonic's loaded power strip…

            _Five minutes later, at Amy's place…_

      Was Amy seeing things?  She could've sworn she saw a flash of sparks coming from Sonic's bedroom.  Minutes later, that flash turned into… a fire?!   "What the heck?!  Whoa!  Gotta call 9-1-1!"

            _Forty-five minutes later, on the ground…_

      Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails had just gotten off the bus on the corner of their street.  What they saw down the street made them freeze.  About two fire engines, three squad cars, and a paramedical vehicle had gathered just outside their apartment building, effectively closing off the street to traffic… and a fire in their building… on their floor.

      "What the hell?!"  Sonic murmured before running towards the scene, with Tails and Knuckles not far behind.

      Outside, Amy caught a glimpse of Sonic running towards the scene, box of food in his arms.  "Sonic!  Over here!"  She yelled.

      Sonic and co. immediately changed course, stopping when they got to her.  Sonic was speechless.  "How the…What the… When the…" His face paled when he saw just where the fire hoses were aiming for:  his apartment.  Suddenly, he ran a check of all the stuff they had invested in inside the apartment, and almost fainted.  "No!  All my shit!  How could this happen?!"  He made to run in and salvage as much as possible, but Amy grabbed on to his waist.  "Leggo, Amy!"

      "Get a hold of yourself, Sonic!"  She reasoned.  "You can replace all that stuff!  There's no point in you risking your life foolishly!"

      Sonic did a double take.  Replace?  Yeah right.  "You think our insurance is gonna cover all the stuff that's gonna get destroyed?!"  Not to mention, at least three people will be homeless, and without clean clothes.  But then, his rational mind took over.  Someone had to be responsible.  Live today; beat the arsonist to an inch of their life tomorrow… or the day after… or how long it'll take to find them.  Reluctantly, Sonic stopped struggling, sighing heavily.  "Damn!  And we had just bought Generals, too."  He looked up to the sky.  "Why us, God?  Why?"

            _1:38 P.M. EDT._

      By now, the blaze was extinguished.  A police officer approached Sonic and co.  "Mr. Hedgehog, Mr. Echidna, we have determined the cause of the fire.  Your neighbor upstairs was preparing to take a bath, when he apparently suffered a heart attack.  He then went into cardiac arrest, and died soon after, and everyone's none the wiser.  Meanwhile, the water from the bathroom seeped down into the ventilation shaft, and since what's left of your computer system lied directly underneath a vent, the water got into your power strip, made some sparks, and well, the rest is history."

      Sonic blinked.  Damn!  Now, there isn't even someone to vent his anger on.  And he wasn't the type to mutilate a corpse.  "Okay."  He said numbly.  For some odd reason, he noticed that Amy was still bound to his waist, and he gently pried her hands off of him.  "Well, now what?!  I guess we need to get an estimate on how long it'll take to repair the damage.  Amy, can we use your fridge?"  Sonic asked.  "We got some spoilable food here."

      Amy nodded.  "Oh, sure!  Come on."

            _Amy's apartment.  3:00 P.M. EDT._

      Sonic was on Amy's phone, talking with his insurance agent about a time estimate on repairs, with Tails, Knuckles, and Amy with him in her small living room.  Suddenly, Sonic's eyes widened.  "Three days!?  You expect us to wait three days?!"  He fumed

      On the other end, his insurance agent, a woman replied.  "I'm afraid so, and that's even a favorable estimate.  The damage to the walls was extensive.  They'll have to knock the old ones down and put in new drywall."

      Sonic sighed.  "If so, these new walls better be able to withstand a nuclear explosion from point blank range!"  He rubbed his temples.

      The insurance agent ignored his ranting.  "Anyway, do you have a friend who'll let you stay with them?  I suggest "

      Sonic froze, the blood draining from his head.  This just gets better.  'The Strip' isn't exactly an ideal place to crash for an extended period of time.  "We'll be okay."  He sighed.

      The rest of the conversation went along uneventful until he hung up the phone a few seconds later.  With another sigh, Sonic addressed the group.  "Listen up.  As you no doubt figured out, it'll take three days to repair our place.  Now, until then, we have to find somewhere else to stay."  He made a quick glance at Amy, and she nodded in consent of his unspoken question.  "Alright, Amy volunteers to let us stay here, but space is a little limited here.  Meanwhile, we only have two cots at 'The Strip.'  Which means, two of us have to stay at 'The Strip.'"  He was hoping that either Tails, or Knuckles would volunteer to stay here.  It would make making himself scarce a lot easier.

      But, it seemed that fate wouldn't have it, and Tails and Knuckles immediately said "'Strip'".  Sonic was the odd man out.  He made a glance to the ceiling.  God, if this is Your sense of humor, it ain't funny.  He sighed in defeat.  "Fine.  Get outta here.  See you in three days."  With that, Tails and Knuckles exited the small apartment, leaving Sonic and Amy alone.

      The two hedgehogs just stared at each other for a few seconds, waiting for the first to say the first word.  For the umpteenth time, Sonic sighed, collapsing on the nearby sofa.  "This sucks!"

      Amy cocked her head, grabbing his hands to pull him off the sofa.  "Oh, c'mon, Sonic!  Cheer up!  It could've been a lot worse!"

      True, it could've been a lot worse.  But, why me?!  He wanted to scream out.

      She grinned.  "C'mon!  Staying with me for three days can't be all that bad, you have to admit.  Don't tell me you think I still have cooties?"  She teased, trying to at least get a small smile, giggling when she succeeded.

      Sonic rolled his eyes.  "No, it's just the principle of the thing.  Fifty apartments on that floor.  Why me?"

      Amy shrugged.  Maybe this'll keep him from running this year.  "I don't know.  But, they say things happen for a reason."  With that, she went into the back room, letting Sonic collapse back on the sofa.

      "Things happen for a reason?"  Sonic mumbled to himself.  This was some twisted form of divine intervention, he thought to himself.  "If this is divine intervention, I want another God."  He remarked jokingly.

A/N:  Man, this room's smoky.  Somebody open up a window!  *Hack, wheeze, cough*.  Please leave your comments in review form.  This story's about to shape up.  Peace!


	3. A Full House Of 'Shopping' And 'Supply R...

A/N:  (by now, the room is overly smoky) Well, time to roll another joint.  It's the only way I can bring myself to write a mostly romance fic.  Hey, Shadow!  Throw me the bag otherwise I'll screw up this fic!

Shadow:  Silence, inferior human.  Only I am worthy of hitting this indo.  (Takes hit) ***hack, cough, hack, cough***

Author:  (clucks tongue) And you call yourself the Ultimate Life Form?  You choked off a tiny hit! (Snatches joint and lighter)  I'll teach you how to hit it.  (Lights joint, takes a **big** hit)  ***hack, hack, hack*** Yeah, that's good shit ***cough, cough***.  On with this before I blow my high!

Ages:

Sonic:  21

Amy:  19

Knuckles:  21

Tails:  13

            _Miami, Florida U.S.A.  Amy's apartment.  February 11, 2003.  3:34 P.M. EDT._

      Half an hour later, and Sonic was still lying on the sofa, sort of looking comatose.  Why him?  It could have been anyone else's apartment on that floor, but why his?  Another thing, why will it have to take three days to repair the damage?  That'll mean three days of his displacement at Amy's, to say nothing about Valentine's Day being, you guessed it, three days away.

      That also meant Amy would most likely know when he's not here, since she'd have the only key, and he'd have to sleep here for the next three nights, making disappearing by Valentine's Day rather challenging.  He'd better get well acquainted with the couch, or the 'dog house' as he refers to it.

      Still not moving, he looked around the room.  "Too much pink."  He murmured.  Aside from the white ceiling, the walls were pink, not the original color.  He asked her jokingly about that some time ago, and she replied laughing.  "Hey!  If it were up to you, we'd still be seeing raw drywall!"  Also, the sofa and couch were a matching peach color.  He's probably the only thing in this place that throws off the color scheme.

      Still not moving, he heard Amy on the cordless phone, coming out of her bedroom, and into the living room.  He couldn't help but eavesdrop on Amy's half of the conversation.

      "Oh, that's alright!  Kristen and I always hit it off together."  Amy just remembered Sonic's predicament.  "But, space is a little limited here.  I have a friend over here who's place caught on fire, and I'm letting him stay over here until the repairs are done."

      Kristen?  Sonic wondered, zoning out for a bit.  He had a feeling this would be no good for him.  He had met her before, when Sonic had to borrow some batteries from Amy a while back, but still didn't know much about her other than the fact that she was around Tails' age, and also a fox.  Sonic also knew that she had a crush on Tails.  Poor guy, Sonic thought.  I feel his pain.

      "Oh, she has a sleeping bag?  Oh, that's cool!  She can spend the night, then!  Sonic shouldn't mind."

      Sonic bolted upright.  I know she isn't… He was about to go off, but kept his tongue in check.  After all, Amy didn't have to let him stay here.

      "So, when will you guys get here? … Okay, I'll see you in an hour!  … Alright.  … Bye!"  Amy hung up the phone, and then turned around to Sonic, smiling sweetly.  "Okay, ready?"

      "Spill it."

      "You remember Tanya, right?  Well, she's going away on a business trip for three days, and she's leaving her younger sister here for me to watch over."

      "You mean, for us to take care of."  Sonic corrected.  Why is everything taking place in three days, he marveled.

      She grinned.  "Well, yeah."

      "Outstanding."  He muttered sarcastically.  "Now she'll be begging me to bring Tails over here."

      Amy giggled.  "Oh, come on!  She isn't that bad once you get to know her, I promise."

      He rolled his eyes.  "I guess I'll have to take your word for it.  Anyways, she'll be here in an hour, right?"  Amy nodded.  "Mind if I borrow your book bag?  I wanna get some stuff at 'The Strip that'll make this a bit more bearable."

      She shrugged, emptying her backpack and handing it to him.  "Fine.  Go ahead.  I'll leave the door unlocked, so just come in."

      "Fine.  See you in a blink."  With that, he was out the door, down the steps, and down the street.

            _Key Largo, Florida.  'The Strip'.  3:47 P.M. EDT._

      Tails and Knuckles were taking the temporary loss of their apartment a little easier, mainly because they had a high-end computer, and Tails just happened to have his copy of Command & Conquer:  Generals on him, which Knuckles was currently playing in the office.  Tails meanwhile, had taken to working on his almost finished Hurricane, his new air superiority fighter (A/N:  for more information, read Sonic's Black Op, or Operation Blackbeard, Chapter 3).  So, they'd have plenty to do for three days.

      Sonic slowed to a light jog (for him, anyways) when he hit the tarmac of the runway.  Not only did he want to pick up some stuff, he wanted to vent.  He went into the lone hangar, and spotted Tails on his workstation, his back to him, probably calibrating the fly-by-wire system.  Silently, he stalked up to Tails, stopping just behind him and waited, wanting to stare the living daylights out of him when he turned around.

      Knuckles emerged from the hangar's office.  "Oh, man!  This game's a beast!  Tails, you should—" He stopped when he saw Sonic.  "Heh, 'sup, Sonic!"

      Sonic?  Tails turned around, and fell out of his chair in surprise when he saw Sonic's scowling face.  Sonic stomped towards him, with Tails crab walking backwards.  "Whassup, Sonic?!  'Sup, fools!  How the hell are you gonna sell me out like that?!  You know damn well that Valentine's Day is three days away!  How the hell –"

      "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"  Knuckles held his hands out in protest.  "Hang on a second.  I had no idea that Valentine's Day was that close!  You're talking to a guy that just recently moved to the States."

      Sonic stopped his advance and looked at Tails for his excuse.  The fox just smiled meekly.  "I'm too young to be thinking about that!"

      The hedgehog was barely able to keep calm.  "But still, you knew that V-14 Day is fast approaching!  You could have volunteered to stay with Amy!"

      Tails stood up, shrugging.  "I just thought it'd be a good time to really get to work on the Hurricane.  My bad.  You wanna switch?"  He asked.

      Sonic shook his head.  "Nah, forget it.  Amy'll probably get mad at me."

      Knuckles smirked.  "Oh, so you do have some feelings for her!"

      Sonic couldn't argue against that.  Deep down, he knew it was true, but he just ran from them, at least until he was able to settle down.  Instead, he threw his hands up.  "Oh, shut the hell up!  So what if I do!?  It's the principle of the whole thing!"  With that, he walked into the lounge.

      Tails and Knuckles took note of the pink backpack Sonic was carrying, and sniggered to themselves.  "Y'know, Sonic.  With that pink book bag, you look kinda odd."  When Sonic flipped them the bird from over his shoulder, they laughed harder.

      Sonic had packed an extra set of work clothes, the X-Box, the Gamecube, along with all the games into the book bag.  He was about to stalk out when an idea hit him.  Oh, payback will be something.  Sonic smiled evilly at Tails.  "Oh, by the way, Tails.  Your girlfriend, Kristen, is spending the night at Amy's for three days."

      The fox blushed.  "Sh-sh-she's not my girlfriend!  I-I-I have a-a-absolutely no feelings for her!"  He stuttered.

      Sonic smirked.  "Oh, really?  Why are you red in the face?"

      Finding nothing to comeback with, Tails just folded his arms across his chest, fuming.  "Just shut up!"

      Sonic laughed to himself.  "Just remember something:  payback's a mutha."  With that, he ran out of the hangar, and back to Amy's, leaving Tails to ponder the threat.

            _Amy's apartment.  4:29 P.M. EDT._

      Sonic and Amy had gotten the X-Box going, and had just started a game of Halo—Slayers mode.  For Sonic, nothing was more stress relieving than blowing someone up with a rocket launcher, and he needed to blow off some steam.  The fact that he was playing Amy was somewhat satisfying, seeing that some of his stress came from thinking of her, and he secretly enjoyed blowing her character up thirty feet in the air with a rocket.

      A knock on the door made them pause their game.  Sonic groaned inwardly.  He had just gotten Amy in the sights of his rocket launcher.  "I'll get it."  He mumbled, and went to the door, with Amy close behind.  He opened it to reveal Kristen with her older sister, Tanya.

      "Hey, girl!"  Amy and Tanya cheerily exclaimed, hugging each other.  Kristen, a red fox with a hairstyle not unlike Amy's except a little longer, a T-shirt and jeans walked in.

      Sonic just stood there.  You'd never see two males doing this, he thought.

      "So, where're you headed this time?"  Amy asked.

      Tanya sighed.  "To Orlando.  I have to go to an employee seminar."  She shrugged.  "Anyways, once again, thanks for having her over."

      Amy waved it off.  "Hey, I told you it's no big deal!  Just drive safe."

      "Okay, see you in three days!  Bye, Sonic!"  With that, she went down the hall, toward the elevator.

      Sonic shrugged a minute before closing the door.  He didn't know Tanya that much.  What he did know was that she and her sister were orphaned not long ago, and she was forced to support herself and Kristen on her own, as well as get herself through college.

      "Well, now the Rose Motel has no vacancies," Amy announced with a shrug.

      "Hiya, Sonic!"  Kristen exclaimed, smiling.  "Is Tails here?"

      An evil thought crept into Sonic's mind.  Payback?  On second thought, let fate handle it.  "Naw, he's somewhere else."  Though, now that he thought about it, if Tails did volunteer to stay here, he'd be the one to suffer the most.  And he didn't think the fox would take it too well.  He guessed it was all for the better.  "So, what now?"  He asked, leaning against the door.

      Amy shrugged.  "Kris, how much homework do you have?"  She asked.

      "None, I did it all before I got here."  The girl answered.

      Amy thought for a moment, and then looked at Sonic.  She just remembered that he doesn't have any clothes now.  "I know!  Why don't we go shopping?"

      Sonic blinked.  "Another supply run?!  Why?  You just went this morning!"

      Amy smiled.  "This isn't for me, silly.  It's for you!  I'll just take back the stuff I bought earlier."

      "Huh?"

      "I guess you didn't figure that all of your clothes got burned in the fire, huh?"

      Oh, yeah, Sonic remembered.  The only articles of clothing that were confirmed survivors were the stuff he had on:  a pair of cargo shorts, a Triple H T-shirt, the pair of boxers he had on, and his shoes.  Still, he didn't want to go clothes shopping.  "Well… I'll just wash these over and over again."  He argued, gesturing to his gear.  "Besides, I don't wanna have you spend—"

      "But, I want to."  Amy emphasized every word, holding his hands and looking up at him.  She made sure her emerald green eyes met his, and she knew he wouldn't hold out for long.  "Please?"  She cajoled, giving him her sweetest smile.

      Dammit, why can't I ever say no to this girl?!  Sonic mentally screamed.  Closing his eyes, he breathed.  "Fine."  The girls celebrated.  "But," Sonic started.  "One hour, no more.  And, I'll pick out my own draws, thank you very much."  Somehow, he didn't think they'd respect the hour time cap.  A thought just hit him.  "Hey, I know!  There's a military surplus down the stree—"

      "You actually think I'll let you dress like a drill sergeant?"  Amy asked, opening the door.  "C'mon, guys!  Back to Aventura!"  Dragging the reluctant blue hedgehog along, she went out the door, with Kristen not far behind.

            _North Miami Beach, Florida.  Aventura Mall, JC Penny's.  8:46 P.M. EDT._

      Sometimes, Sonic hated it when he was right.

      Sure, he had gotten his gear quick enough; two pair of pants, equal pair of shorts, some T-shirts, and four pair of white boxer shorts.  But, soon as they passed the women's department, curiosity got a hold of the girls.  Curiosity turned to trips to the fitting rooms, and those sometimes changed to purchasing.  The blue hedgehog could swear that the two girls could have been twins if they were the same species.  He had written off trying to persuade them to check out.  He couldn't even hold his own weight in an argument against just Amy, let alone outnumbered.  Electronics Boutique had closed hours ago, meaning he'd have no way to relieve the ennui (A/N:  betcha that's a new word, huh?  Anybody got a thesaurus?  ^_^) of waiting.

      Finally, after three and a half hours, they were on their way to the checkout lanes.  Kristen pushed the cart, with Amy not far behind her, and Sonic at the rear, silently sulking to himself with arms folded over his chest.  He sighed.  "Y'know, I said one hour.  Just one!  How the—" he found the sense to watch his language.  He knew that in some parts of the country, he could get arrested for cursing in front of women and children.  He didn't think that was the case in Florida, but just in case… "How the heck did that hour turn into three?!"  He carped.  "My feet hurt, my knees are stiff, and my back's killing me!"

      Amy smiled sheepishly, stopping to let Sonic catch up with her, and she rubbed his back sympathetically.  "Aww, poor baby.  Our bad.  Didn't mean for it to happen."  An urge to tease him struck her, and she grinned playfully.  "Hey, there's some cute stuff—"

      "Ain't gonna happen!"  With that, Sonic sprang forward, grabbing the cart from Kristen, and made a run for the registers, leaving Amy and Kristen to giggle to themselves.

            _Miami, Florida U.S.A.  Amy's apartment.  10:02 P.M. EDT._

      After making a detour at Rally's, the gang finally got in.  Sonic collapsed on the couch in a heap.  "Oh, my neck!  My back!  My neck and my back!"  He whined.  "Next time, remind me to tell y'all to wait in the car."

      "Oh, you'll be alright!"  Amy said, rolling her eyes.  "Oi, I gotta work early tomorrow.  Not to mention, take Kristen to school early."

      Sonic raised an eyebrow.  "Really?  What time do you go in?"  He asked.

      "9:30.  Why?"

      "Can you make sure I'm up by eight?  I go in at nine."

      She smiled warmly.  "Sure."  She was about to go into the back room, but Sonic called out for her.

      "Hey, Ames?"

      She turned her head.  "Yeah?"

      "Thanks… for everything."

      Amy smiled both inwardly and outwardly.  She had never heard him say thanks to anyone before, let alone her.  Mostly, the situations were the other way around, with Sonic being the helper.  "Y'know, you should let people help you more often."  She stated softly, moving to grab his hands to pull him up so that she could look up at him.  "Not just in the big things, but in everyday matters."

      Sonic shrugged.  "I guess."

      They just stood there for a few seconds, before Amy embraced him in a soft, brief hug.  "G'night."

      "Night."  Sonic mumbled, making Amy giggle.  He'd never say "Good morning" or "Good night".  After they broke the hug, Amy went into the back room to where Kristen was, probably to do a nighttime pedicure or something like that.

      Sonic collapsed on the couch again.  When he woke up tomorrow morning, he'd have 48 hours to make himself scarce.

Author:  (Smoking with Shadow) Man that was some good indo!

Shadow:  (Sounding high as hell) Yeah, man!  That was indo fit for the Ultimate Life Form.

Author:  Roll another joint!

(A chainsaw goes through the door, and makes a man-sized hole in it.  Sonic steps in the room holding the revving chainsaw)

Sonic:  YOU!

Author:  Oh, hell!  (Tries to run, but is high as hell)

Sonic:  Get that guy!  (Sees Shadow)  And get his supplier, too!

(A bunch of guys in suits grab me and Shadow)

Sonic:  (evilly) Alright, no more bud, and no more romance!  I'm staying single, dammit!  To make sure of that, you guys are going too…

Author:  (paling) No!  Don't say it!

Sonic:  Rehab!

Author and Shadow:  NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know the drill.  Leave your comments in review form, and I'll see if me and Shadow can escape from rehab soon.  We're in full swing here!  Peace!


	4. Day 2 uh, can't think of anything else t...

A/N:  Yep, Shadow and I are now sitting in rehab, going through withdrawal.  I swear I'm not able to write a romance fic in my right mind.  I **need** to be high ^^;!

Shadow: (shoulder twitches, looking around nervously) Man, I need a hit!

Everyone else in rehab:  We all do!

Shadow: (sees me take out a joint) Whoa!  Where'd you get that?!  I thought they searched you!

Author:  I had it in my rear.  Wanna hit?

Shadow:  ^^; No, thanks.  I'll pass.

Author:  (sees everyone else eye joint like a steak) Oh, crap.

Some random junkie:  Get'em!  (Everyone but Shadow rushes author)

Author:  (knocks out everyone with one hand while holding joint)

Shadow:  ^^; Okay, that was pointless.

Author:  Right, now to get high and write this chapter before the rehab people get back.  (Lights it, takes an **unnecessarily** **big** hit)  ***hack, cough, wheeze, hack*** Okay, here we go!

By now, the ages should be drilled into your heads, so we'll skip it.

            _Miami, Florida.  Amy's apartment.  February 12, 2003.  8:03 A.M. EDT.  39 hours, 57 minutes remain…_

      "Rise and shine, sleepyhead."  Sonic heard Amy's nearby voice murmur softly.  Amy was already in her work clothes; a red semi-casual business suit.

      Already?  Sonic thought.  It can't be eight already!  He had just gotten comfortable about two hours ago, mostly because the couch was like a slab of concrete.

      "Come on, Sonikku (A/N:  Yep, I'll start using that).  It's eight o'clock."  She persisted, this time gently shaking him.

      Sonic's only response was to roll over on his stomach and stretch a little.  Damn!  Why does time have to travel so fast?

      He felt her soft hands gently rub his back, trying to rouse him, and he cracked open one green, bloodshot eye to see Amy crouched down so that their faces met.  "Ten more minutes."  He croaked sleepily, and then closed his open eye.  He didn't want to get up.  He knew he had to work this morning.  If it wasn't for the fact that he had to shower, and he usually took **long** ones, he could theoretically sleep until 8:55 and still be on time.

      Amy smiled sympathetically.  She thought she saw more red in his eyes than green.  Nonetheless… "No can do!  I know you.  That ten minutes will turn into twenty, that twenty into forty, and so on and so forth."

      "No it won't," Sonic mumbled, almost inaudibly.  "Promise."

      She sighed, putting her hands on her hips.  "That's what you always say."  She saw that Sonic didn't even bother to get the quilt on top of the couch, so she couldn't even strip that off of him.  Hmm… how to wake him up?  She ruled out sticking an ice cube down his shirt or yelling, "Wake up!" as loud as possible; she wanted him up, not down and in traction.  Hmm…

      ***FLASH***  ***CRACK***

      Unfortunately for Sonic, it seemed that God had other ideas of waking him up.  Caught totally off guard, Sonic quickly rolled off the couch in a burst of adrenaline… and right into Amy's lap.  "Oookaaay, that'll work."  She muttered, amused.

      Sonic looked up at the ceiling.  Was that just lightning?  "Okay, I get the message.  I'm up."  He breathed, the extra adrenaline making him shake.  He walked up to the window.  Yeah, it was raining.  But, it was raining big, fat raindrops to accommodate the occasional flash of lightning and crack of thunder.  He threw his hands up in frustration.  "Outstanding!"  He exclaimed sarcastically.  His bike wasn't exactly an all-weather machine.  He'd have to hoof it in the rain.

      "Well, I wonder how Tails is holding up?"  Sonic muttered to himself, moving to gather his work clothes.  Knowing the fox, who has a lasting phobia of thunder, he was probably deep inside the bunkers below 'The Strip', curled up in a ball.

      Amy laughed to herself.  "Probably.  Poor kid."

      Sonic raised an eyebrow.  "Poor kid my ass!  He can run right through enemy fire, but freaks when thunder claps?  I don't buy it!"  He picked up his clothes, and headed towards the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way.

      Surprisingly, Sonic only took all of five minutes in the shower, and he stepped out of the bathroom wearing typical warehouse type work clothes.  "What time is it?" He asked, making his way into the living room.

      She checked her watch.  "Just ten after.  Why?  Want breakfast?"

      "Don't need it."  He rarely ate breakfast since he usually wasn't hungry in the morning.

      Amy looked out the window.  The rain didn't look like it would stop soon.  "How about I drive you to work?  The rain doesn't look like it'll let up soon, and you'll stay, well, mostly dry."

      "Nah, I'll be okay."

      She sighed.  "Sonic, what did I say about letting other people help you?"

      It was his turn to sigh.  There was no point in arguing; he'd lose every time.  "Fine.  Thanks."

      She smiled.  "Not a problem."

      A beat.  Sonic noticed that the X-Box was still on after more than twelve hours.  He remembered they forgot to turn it off before going on that not-so-brief supply run.  If he remembered right, they were playing Halo on Juggernaut mode (A/N:  For those few who never played Halo, in Juggernaut, the first player who scores a frag has their gun's power increased until somebody kills them.  Then, that person becomes the juggernaut) on the Hang'em High map.  He checked his watch.  It was only quarter after.  He also remembered that he had Amy in the crosshairs of his rocket launcher, too.  He moved to turn on the TV.  "Y'know, we never did finish our game."

      Amy eyed the still running X-Box.  "Oops, I guess we forgot to turn it off."  She smiled sheepishly.  "Wanna finish it?  Loser buys lunch!"

      "Bet!  We're going to the most expensive chili place in Miami, then."  After turning on the TV, Sonic moved to join Amy on the couch, grabbing his controller and waiting for her to get hers.  "Ready?"  He smirked.  She still doesn't know, yet.

      "Yeah—hey what the?!"  She just realized that she was in Sonic's scope.  Too late.

      "Go!"  Sonic pulled the trigger.  Amy's pink Master Chief went flying some fifty feet in the air before falling dead.  Sonic was the juggernaut.  "Heh, heh!  I'm winning!"

      She elbowed him in the ribs.  "Cheater!  I hate you!"

      "Get in line.  It wraps around the block three times!"

      A smile spread across her face as she respawned.  "You'll get yours, Sonikku.  Cheaters never win, you know."

      Sonic smirked.  "Not true.  They just say that to promote morals.  'Sides, it ain't cheating if you don't get caught!"

            _Fifteen minutes later…_

      Even with the cheap shot at the beginning, the two hedgehogs were dead even.  The score was nine all.  The next frag would win.  And Amy was the juggernaut, having scored a headshot with her trusty sniper rifle.  She was deadly with it, and Sonic knew it.

      Right now, Sonic's blue Master Chief was toting a shotgun, and Amy kept her sniper rifle.  Sonic decided to camp inside the level's tunnels to avoid Amy's sniper rifle and lure her into a closed quarter battle, and Amy was camped on the level's catwalks hoping to pick Sonic off from long distance.  They were in a stalemate.

      "Sonikku!  Come out, come out wherever you are!"  Amy sang out

      "Y'know, you've been camping on that catwalk for the last five minutes," Sonic remarked.  "You know I ain't coming out; I ain't stupid."  He dropped his controller, reclining on the couch.  "My will against yours.  Yours will lose."

      She smirked.  "Oh, really?  I'm not the one who has to be at work in half an hour.

      "I can be there in five minutes if need be."  He countered proudly.

      The standoff continued.  Finally, Amy caved and moved off the catwalk.  "Okay, time for me to end this!"

      Sonic smirked, picking up his controller.  "I knew you'd see things my way."

      It didn't take her much time to get into Sonic's tunnel complex.  She equipped her pistol this time, since the sniper rifle wasn't good for close up firing.  Sonic's motion tracker detected her movement around the next corner.  "I hope you know I have the advantage."  He proclaimed.

      Amy just smirked.  "Yeah, sure."  She was just around the corner from him.

      "Come on around, Ames, and you can buy lunch."

      "Boy, please!"  She threw a frag grenade around the corner.

      "What the?!"  Sonic didn't expect a frag grenade, and he lost sight of it as it landed behind him.  He knew he had it.  "Aw, hell naw!"

      ***BOOM***

      The grenade exploded just behind him.  With Amy as the juggernaut, the extra power of the grenade was enough to kill him, and his carcass flew into the wall from around the corner.

      "Game over."  The game said.

      Stunned, Sonic just tossed his controller, trying to refrain from cursing while Amy just on the couch, holding her sides because she was laughing so much.  She had just done him in again.  Funny thing about it was he plays Halo more than her.

      "Told ya, Sonikku," she gloated, still giggling.  "Cheaters never win!"

      Sonic just eyed her.  Then an evil smile crossed his face.  "Oh, you think it's funny?  Huh?  Do you?"  

      All Amy could do was laugh hysterically and nod.  

      "Then, I'll give you something better to laugh at!"  With that, he pounced on her and began to tickle her ribs.

      Amy yelped and laughed harder a few seconds before she countered with her own attack, making Sonic laugh hysterically.  And so, the tickle battle of apartment 507 raged for another five minutes.  An unspoken ceasefire was then announced, and the two combatants laid back on the couch, Amy leaning on Sonic's shoulder, both of them enjoying each other's presence, giggling every now and then, both not even caring about the time.

      "Y'know, I would've bought lunch either way."  Sonic said.

      Amy giggled.  "Sure, you would have."  She said, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

      "Hey, I'm serious!"

      ***FLASH***  ***CRACK***

      Another lightning strike landed nearby, and consequently, all of the lights went out.  "I guess this is God's way of telling us to get moving."  Amy remarked.

      "He doesn't have to tell me twice.  Let's move!"

            _Miami, Florida.  Port Of Miami.  11:56 A.M. EDT.  36 hours, four minutes remain…_

      "Good, only five minutes to lunch time!"  Sonic muttered, glancing at his watch while loading another palette on his forklift.  Because of the extra roughhousing with Amy, he was late for work.  Boss got on his ass about it, but to be perfectly honest, Sonic didn't care.  Nor did he care when Boss ragged on him when he was caught daydreaming.

      Of course, the subject of his daydreams had been Amy.  He had to admit; she was a lot of fun to be around.  And with him being depressed because of his apartment being burned out, her cheerfulness helped break his sullen mood considerably.  To say nothing of the fact that she was cute, caring, and long been loyal to him, it was all the more reason for him to like her.

      And all the more reason he was becoming apprehensive about leaving the country this time around.  Which is funny because most people want to leave Cuba; he's trying to get into it.  

      But, he was a fighter, not a lover!  He didn't have time to fall in love.  Not until Eggman was dealt with for good.  But then again, the fat bastard did have a knack for escaping justice every time, and 'for good' may not happen for a long time.  Maybe it was time to—

      "Hey, Sonic!"  Boss called, disrupting his train of thought.  "Someone's here to see you!  A girl named Amy!"

      Oh, yeah.  Amy was supposed to be meeting him for lunch.  "Alright!  Give me a minute!"  With that, Sonic unloaded the palette, parked his forklift amongst the other forklifts, clocked out, and walked to the front gate, where Amy was waving at him.

      "Hey!  Ready to go?"  She asked when he got to the gate.

      "Where're we going?"

      Amy paused for a moment to think.  "Hmm… why don't we go to Penn Station?  There's one right by the bank I work at."

      Sonic shrugged.  "Fine."

      The two started to walk to Amy's car when she remembered something.  "You're treating, remember."  She smirked.

      He just glared at her, his defeat now fresh in his memory.  "Sure, Ames!  Just twist the knife a little deeper, why don'cha!"

      She patted his back, giggling.  "Oh, you'll be okay!  It's just a game, remember."

      "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

            _Coral Gables, Florida U.S.A.  Penn Station.  12:19 P.M. EDT.  35 hours, 41 minutes remain…_

      The two had already ordered and sat down.  Both had ordered a large Philly cheese steak sub.  Sonic had his with mushrooms, banana peppers and "swimming in oil and vinegar", while Amy had hers the same way, sans the oil and vinegar.

      Amy just stared at Sonic's dripping, soggy sub.  "You are gonna have a heart attack in five minutes flat."  She remarked.

      Sonic smirked.  "Hey, like The Joker says:  'When you gotta go, go with a smile!'"

      She just shook her head.  "I guess."

      The two just ate in silence for a few minutes.  Then, Sonic noticed her take out her Anatomy book.  He swallowed his bite, and arched his eyebrows.  "Why do you have that?"  He asked, motioning to the book.

      She sighed.  "I have a test coming up."

      "About?"

      "We gotta name and identify all the arteries, veins and capillaries in the heart."

      Sonic just made a face.  "All that?!  That's a bit much!"

      She smiled.  "Tell me about it."

      "Anyways, when's this test?"  He asked.

      She sighed again.  "Tomorrow."

      "Then, why are you working today?"  He asked, bewildered.  "If I were you, I'd be at home cramming!"

      "Well, unlike _some_ people I know, I have to work to pay the rent."  She argued.

      He shrugged.  "So, what if you miss a few hours?  You can always make it up the next week."

      "Besides, it's not like they'll let me just take the rest of the day off without a good reason."  She reasoned.

      Sonic just arched a brow.  "Oh, no?"  He wrapped up the rest of his sandwich, stood up, and took Amy's hand.

      "Hey, what are you doing?!"  She asked, puzzled.

      He smirked.  "Take it to go.  We're going to pay your work a visit."  When Amy looked a bit uncertain, he squeezed her hand reassuring.  "Trust me on this."  With that, he took his sandwich in his other hand, and the two were out the door.

            _Coral Gables, Florida.  Provident Bank.  12:42 P.M. EDT.  35 hours, eighteen minutes remain…_

      Sonic had dragged her across the street to the bank.  It had stopped raining a couple of hours ago, so the two didn't get drenched.  As soon as they went through the double doors, Sonic scanned the bank, looking for someone who could be a manager.  "Where's your boss?"  Sonic asked.

      Amy pointed to a cubicle on their left.  "She's over there."

      He had dragged her just outside the cubicle where a human woman, appearing in her lower thirties sat.  "Excuse me, ma'am."

      The woman looked up from her paperwork.  "Oh!  Hi, Sonic.  Hi, Amy.  How may I help you, today?"

      "May we have a word with you?  It's about Amy."

      The woman nodded.  "Please have a seat."  The two sat down.  "So, what is it?"

      Sonic looked at Amy, who was too stunned to speak.  Figures.  It would've happened to him, too if he were in the same scenario.  "Okay, you are aware that Amy is taking medical assisting classes, right?"  The woman nodded.  "Then, are you aware that Amy has a very important test tomorrow she has to study for?"

      She shook her head.  "No, I was not aware of that."

      Picking up a head of steam, Sonic went on.  "So, what I'm asking on her behalf is that she be granted the rest of the day off to study.  Is that possible?"

      The woman paused to think.  "Hmm, I guess that's possible.  Today's been a slow day, and I guess we can afford to let her have the rest of the day off."

      Amy just gaped in awe at Sonic.  Whoa!  He made that look easy.

      Sonic sighed inwardly in relief.  That was easier than he expected.  He had mapped out an entire contingency plan if she said no.

      "So, that's it?"  Amy asked.  "I have the rest of the day off?"

      "It's not a big deal, Amy."  The woman said.  "Just do well on that test."

      She smiled.  "Will do!  Thanks a lot, Cheryl!"  With that, the two hedgehogs left the bank.

            _Just outside Provident Bank.  12:47 P.M.  35 hours, thirteen minutes remain…_

      "Wow, Sonikku!  You didn't have to do all that for my sake."  Amy said, walking beside him.

      Sonic shrugged.  "I know how hard it is to talk to your boss.  It would've been the same for me if I had to talk to mine.  Anyways, I get off at three.  You need all the time and quiet you need to study, so I'll make myself and Kristen scarce for the rest of the day."

      She smiled up at him, hugging him gratefully.  "Thank you so much, Sonikku!"

      He blushed, trying to play it off, while weakly returning the hug.  "All in a day's work.  It wasn't that big of a deal."

      She stared up at him.  "Trust me.  It was for me."  She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but time wouldn't permit it as she glanced at her watch.  "Whoa!  Don't you have to be back at work?"  She asked, breaking the hug.

      Sonic looked at his watch.  "Oh, relax.  I got plenty of time.  Remember, your talking about the guy who shattered just about every land speed record in the books!"  He said proudly.  "Anyways, just study and ace the test for us.  I'll pick up Kristen from school, and we'll stay out of your hair."

      Amy arched an eyebrow.  "Where're you going to take her?"

      He shrugged.  "Well, it seemed a good idea to hide out at 'The Strip'.  Relax, we'll be back in time for dinner.  Good luck!"  With that, he took off down the road.

      Amy smiled.  It was all the more reason to love him.

            _Miami, Florida U.S.A.  Brownsville Middle School.  3:39 P.M. EDT.  31 hours, 21 minutes remain…_

      "Well, this is the place."  Sonic muttered, stopping his bike.  School let out at three o'clock.  There were only the few kids who either had detention, had an after school meeting, or in Kristen's case, was waiting for their ride, remaining.  Sonic took off his helmet.  The girl was outside, and probably didn't recognize him with his helmet on.  When she did recognize him, she walked up to him questioningly.

      "Hey, where's Amy?"  She asked.

      "She's studying for a big test, so I'm taking you and we're heading for my base so that she can study in peace."  He took out a blindfold.  "Put this on."

      She eyed it.  "Why?"

      "Because you'll know how to get to my base, and then I'll have to kill you."  He joked.  "But really, I don't like other people knowing where it is, so get on, put it on, and put on the spare helmet."

      She obeyed.

      "Now, hold on tight!"  With that, he eased the bike out of the school parking lot.

            _Key Largo, Florida U.S.A.  'The Strip', hangar.  4:21 P.M. EDT.  30 hours, 39 minutes remain…_

      Sonic had parked his bike inside the hangar, and allowed Kristen to take off her blindfold.  "Kristen, welcome to 'The Strip.'"  He looked around.  The computer terminal by the Hurricane was off and the lights were off in the office and the lounge.  "Is the power here still out?"  Also, it didn't look like Tails and Knuckles were inside either room.  Then, it hit him.  They're probably inside the bunkers trying to get the backup generator going.  "I'll be right back.  Don't touch anything."  He ordered, emphasizing each word before grabbing a flashlight, heading out of the hangar, and to the derelict control tower, where the bunker was located.

      Inside, he could hear voices inside the dark passageways.  He could recognize them as Tails and Knuckles.  "Hey, guys!"  He called out.  "It's me!"

      Down the hall, he could here Knuckles say.  "Can you lend us a hand with this generator?  The power's been out most of the day!"

      "Hang on!  I'll be right there!"  He jogged down the passageways, taking a right at the next intersection, and the generator was in sight, along with Knuckles and Tails' flashlights.

      "How the hell do you get this piece of crap going?!"  Knuckles exclaimed.  The generator was there since the base was built during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  It was the kind where you had to pour sulfide into a pipe, light it, close it, and crank the generator and pray you're able to get it running.

      "Hold on, Knucklehead.  I'll get the crank.  You just light the sulfide."  With that, Sonic manned the crank.

      Knuckles poured the sulfide in and lit it, producing smoke.  Quickly, he sealed it.  "Now!"

      Sonic cranked for all he was worth.  The lights flickered for a few seconds, and then finally, power was restored to 'The Strip'.  "How long will it take for the electric company to get here?"  Sonic asked, walking back out of the bunker.

      Tails shrugged.  "Who knows?  Does anyone else have knowledge of this place?"  As soon as he said that, they were out of the bunker, and Kristen was there to meet them.  Tails did a double take.  "Wh-wha-what is she doing here?!"  Tails yelled.

      "I'll explain later."  Sonic muttered.

      Kristen smiled, walking behind Tails.  "What's wrong, Tails?  Aren't you happy to see me?"

      The fox shrugged.  "Whatever."

            _Miami, Florida.  Amy's apartment.  6:54 P.M. EDT.  29 hours, four minutes remain…_

      Amy listed off the names.  "Let's see.  Superior Vena Cava, Inferior Vena Cava, Pulmonary Artery, Pulmonary Vein, Aorta, left and right Coronary Artery, Coronary Vein.  Okay, that takes care of all the major stuff.  Now it's time for the capillaries."

      As she went through the insignificant names, she thought it ironic that a test about the heart would run close to Valentine's Day.  But, ultimately, her thoughts strayed from her studies, and back to Sonic.  Would he hide out this year?  Or is it even possible this year, since he has to spend the next two nights here?

      Or will he finally come clean about his feelings, after all this time?

      There were still two days left until Valentine's Day.  She was still optimistic about this year being different, what with everything that has happened prior.  That, and with Sonic helping her today really got her hopes up.  She sighed.  "Sonikku, please don't hide this year."  Speaking of whom, she had been trying to call him at 'The Strip' since six for dinner, but the phone lines were dead.  "Well, I guess I gotta go over there.  I've been studying since one.  I could use a break."  With that, she grabbed her keys, and left.

            _Key Largo, Florida.  'The Strip', hangar.  7:33 P.M. EDT.  28 hours, 27 minutes remain…_

      Meanwhile, Sonic's thought line wasn't much different than Amy's.  To run, or not to run?  To run, or not to run?  Ah, screw it.  There's still a full day until 'The Day.'  There was still time to think.

      "Hey, Sonic!"  Kristen called behind him, walking to him.

      Sonic turned around.  "What?"  When he saw her with her hands on her hips, he made a face.  "What's wrong with you?"

      "Is it true you're really gonna hide from Amy on Valentine's Day?"

      That made the hedgehog do a double take.  "Where'd you hear that from?!"

      "From Tails.  So, is it true?!"  She demanded.

      Sonic was at a loss for words momentarily.  Finally, he answered.  "You know what?  I ain't so sure.  If you asked me a month ago, the answer would've been 'hell yeah!'  But, things happened.  Right now, I don't know what my feelings are about her—wait a sec, why am I telling you this?"

      She shrugged.  "I don't know." The sound of a car pulling up came from outside the hangar.  Momentarily, headlights from Amy's car flooded the hangar with light.

      "Anyways, I'll tell you later."  Sonic said.  "I guess it's time to go."  Kristen got in the car, and he walked up to the side of Amy's car, waiting for her to open the window.  "Hey, what're you doing out here?  I thought you were studying?"

      She grinned.  "Yeah, for the past five hours!  I needed a break.  Plus, I was wondering if you two were hungry."  When Sonic's stomach growled as if on cue.  She laughed.  "I guess so."

      "Anyways I'll meet you back at the place."  With that, Amy drove away, and he walked to his bike, let Knuckles and Tails know that he was leaving, and popped a wheelie out of 'The Strip.'

            _Amy's apartment.  9:49 P.M. EDT.  26 hours, 11 minutes remain…_

      Sonic had already gone to sleep on the couch, since he had to work again early, and Amy and Kristen were the only ones up.  Amy was telling the younger fox the story of Sonic giving her studying time.

      "Really?!  He did all that?!  Wow!"  Kristen exclaimed.  "He must really like you, doesn't he?"

      Amy sighed, sitting cross-legged on her bed.  There was no doubt they were close friends, but how deep did his feelings for hers run?  "Yeah, but I don't know how much?"

      The younger girl raised her eyebrows.  "Hmm, that's pretty much what he let slip."

      Amy perked up.  "Let what slip?"

      "That he doesn't know how deep his feelings run."

      "Hmm… is that so?"  So, Sonic was unsure of his feelings.  Then, maybe, just maybe, she could help him explore them.  With that in mind, she turned out the light, and got into bed.  Her test was at ten o'clock.  She'd need all the sleep she could get.

Author:  Heh, heh.  Managed to get high enough to write another chappy.

Shadow:  Only one problem:  that was the last joint.

Author:  (shrugs) Then we'll have to escape.

(The wall suddenly gives in.  Sonic steps through the hole holding a sledgehammer like he was Triple H)

Author:  Oh, crap!

Sonic:  I'll get you for this!

Shadow:  Garoad! (Grabs author, and Chaos Controls out before the sledgehammer crushes our skulls)

A/N:  On a more realistic note, I feel like I sort of half-assed this one.  Reason being in the middle of writing this, an idea for my next story flashed into my head.  Now, I can't wait to write that one.  Well, just one day left, and probably one chappy left.  Don't forget to leave your comments in review form.  Peace!


	5. Advice At The Pool Hall, and V14 Day Arr...

A/N:  Ha!  Thought y'all wouldn't see me again, didn't ya!  I was just stalled on ideas, that's all.  Anyways, this'll wrap this up.

Author:  (Inside Gundam X's cockpit) How long is he gonna try?

Shadow:  (Shrugs) Probably until he runs out of ammunition.

Author:  He's wasting his time.  This is a Gundam, after all.  (View screen shows Sonic standing outside with a rocket launcher on his shoulder, firing rocket after rocket, and doing no damage whatsoever) Told ya.  Now, to wrap this up.  Pass the bud, Shadow!

Shadow:  (blinks) But, we're in a phone booth with no ventilation!  We'll suffocate!

Author:  I'll open the cockpit every now and then.  Now, let's go!

            _Miami, Florida U.S.A.  Amy's apartment.  February 13, 2003.  6:07 P.M.  Only seven hours, 53 minutes remain…_

      Sonic was playing Halo, and Kristen watching TV in Amy's room.  Amy was still at work.  In addition to her test being right after she got off, she would get be getting back late.

      For the blue hedgehog, it was now or never time.  Valentine's Day was less than a day away, and if he wanted to make himself scarce, he'd have to do so soon.  But, as he was blasting away Covenant and Flood forces in Halo, he was stuck at indecision.  If he decided to take off, Amy would probably hate him for a good while, but he'd be able to concentrate on fighting Eggman.  If he didn't, and if he let his true feelings out, well, he might have a distraction that's both wanted and unwanted:  love.

      But, he didn't have time for that.  Ever since the war on terror began, Sonic had to acknowledge that today's world had become more dangerous than he originally thought, especially with Eggman's activities escalating.  He wanted nobody to cry for him if he ever gets killed, Amy included.  When he thought back to her crying when he was trapped in that capsule at the ARK, he almost thought about calling it quits.

      But, that wasn't an option.

      He'd have to keep fighting until Eggman is neutralized, either voluntarily, or by force.  And for that, he'd need to be on top of his game.

      Which meant no distractions… that meant he couldn't fall in love.  Damn!  That meant to benefit everyone else, he'd have to hurt Amy… and himself.

      Wait a second!  Wasn't she always a distraction?  He had to chase her through Twinkle Park, search for her throughout Station Square (A/N:  I wanted to find a real life substitute for SS, but none came to mind), and rescue her from the first Egg Carrier.  All of that sidetracked him during that particular mission.  But still, things turned out okay.  But, to counter that, his feelings for her weren't as strong then, as now.  Now, the distraction was bigger.

      "Dammit!"  Sonic cursed loudly as his thinking distracted him from the game, resulting in him being blown up by a rocket launcher.  Even now, she was distracting him.  He'd have to sort this out, and here wasn't the place.  He got up to turn off the X-Box.  "Kristen, I'm leavin'!"

      The girl immediately came running out of the back.  "Where're you going?!  You're not gonna take off on her, are you?"  When Sonic didn't answer, she pleaded.  "Promise you won't run off!"

      Sonic just looked at her.  "I can't keep that promise.  I may be back, I may not."  With that, he opened the door.

      "What's that supposed to mean?"  Kristen asked.

      "Just take it at face value!"  Sonic answered as he ran down the hall.

      Kristen sighed as she closed the door.  "He's taking off.  Poor Amy…"

            _Miami, Florida U.S.A.  Broadway Billiards.  10:17 P.M.  Only one hour, 43 minutes remain…_

      Playing pool was the only way Sonic could clearly collect his thoughts.  He wasn't the best pool player, and never claimed to be.  But, he was a respectable player.  And that's why he was now frustrated that he wasn't able to sink a single ball in four tries—make that five tries.

      Sonic looked up from his table and saw someone familiar.  A Latino male in a Navy uniform.  It finally came to him.  "Hey, Vasquez!"  (A/N:  If you read my last story, he was part of SEAL Team 3)

      Vasquez looked toward the voice's origin.  "Hey!  What's up, Sonic?"  The Navy SEAL walked to Sonic, and the two shook hands.  "Hey, barkeep?  Get this guy a beer!

      "Ain't much goin' on."  Sonic chalked up his cue stick, lined up his shot at the four-ball and fired, sinking it into a corner pocket.  "Hey, you wanna play a game?  Two dollars a ball?"

      "Make it three."

      Sonic grinned.  "Bet!  I'm breaking, though."

      "Fine."

      Vasquez racked up the balls in the triangle, rolling it a couple of times on the table.  "I see you've been well since Operation Blackbeard."  He observed, and he removed the triangle.

      Sonic laughed a little.  "Maybe.  Right now, I'm in a little bit of a fix."  He started, lining up his break shot.

      "'Bout what?"

      Sonic broke the triangle, scattering balls all over the table, and sinking the ten-ball.  "This ain't the place for it, but what the hell."  He slid one bead across the string over the pool table.  "Love."

     Vasquez grinned.  "Woman troubles, eh?  Who is it?"

      Sonic lined up another shot, hoping to sink the seven-ball into a side pocket.  "Remember Amy from Blackbeard?"  He fired his shot, but his cue stick just glanced off the cue ball and he cursed, stepping back.

      Vasquez nodded, lining up the same shot.  "Oh, her?  Oh!"  He fired the shot; this time having better luck than Sonic, and the shot sank.  "So?  What's the deal?"  He moved the bead back to the center of the string.

      Sonic sighed.  "Alright, it's like this.  Ever since I saved her life many years ago, she's been head over heels over me.  Before, I shrugged her off because I thought it was just hero worship, or some crap like that.  But, I guess over the years, I saw that it was something deeper.  I especially noticed right before Operation Blackbeard, when the mission was delayed."  He watched Vasquez take his shot, which went just wide of the side pocket, and he scanned for a clear shot.  "We'd been friends for a while, and since the ARK incident in San Francisco about a year and a half ago, she's gotten more mature.  Yet, she's still the Amy I know.  I know without a doubt that she loves me.  I like her, but I don't know how deep my feelings run.  It might be love."  He took aim for the three-ball for the corner pocket, fired, sank it, and moved the bead to his side.

      Vasquez shrugged.  "So… what's keeping you from telling her?"

      The hedgehog shook his head.  "I can't afford to fall in love yet, not until Eggman is dealt with.  It's a distraction.  It can affect your judgment.  And in the risky business we're in, you can't afford distractions in the field.  Also, I don't want her, or anyone crying over me if I buy it some day."  He took a shot for the two-ball to the corner pocket, but missed wide.

      Vasquez moved to line up a shot.  "That's all that's holding you back?!  That ain't a good enough reason.  She likes you.  You like her.  So, go for it!"

      Sonic looked at him incredulously.  "Did you not hear a word I said?"

       "Look, homes.  I have a girlfriend."  Vasquez started, sinking the six-ball in the corner pocket, and moving the bead back to the center.  "She knows the dangers of the life I chose, and accepted it.  Amy hasn't once said to stop fighting Robotnik, right?"

      Sonic nodded.  "Right."

      "Well, that means she also recognizes the dangers of your lifestyle, and will stand with you through thick and thin, better and worse, and all that other shit.  And about you saying that love is a distraction?"  Vasquez aimed for the fourteen-ball in a far corner pocket, but missed wide left.

      "What about it?"

      "Well, think of it this way.  The way I see it, it's all the more reason to stay alive.  You got someone waiting for you to come home.  You don't want someone to cry for you if you get killed?  Then, don't get killed.  Make sure that you stay alive.  Don't get careless with your life."  Vasquez looked at his watch.  "Oh, damn!  It's 2230 hours!  I promised my honey I'd be back by eleven.  We'd have to finish this game later, Sonic."

      The two shook hands again.  "Alright then, Vasquez.  Take it easy.  And thanks for the beer."

      "You, too.  Good luck!"  With that, the SEAL put his cue stick on the table, and left.

      Sonic set his stick on the table, and went to his waiting plate of ribs, buffalo wings, and his beer.  "All the more reason to stay alive, huh?"  He mumbled.  After thinking while eating his dinner, he made up his mind, and took a deep breath.  "It's decided!"

            _Amy's apartment.  11:02 P.M.  Only 58 minutes remain…_

      Amy unlocked her door and opened it, revealing the front room empty except for Kristen, who was watching TV on the couch.  She frowned.  Sonic wasn't here.  He would've been asleep on the couch by now.  "Hey, where's Sonic?"  Amy asked, fearful that the blue hedgehog had skipped town.

      Kristen didn't answer immediately.  "Well, he said he was heading out, and that was at around six o'clock.  I haven't seen him since."

      Amy sighed.  Did he go into hiding this year, as well?  Her hopes were higher than normal.  She thought for sure, that with the recent turn of events, that this Valentine's Day would be different.  Old habits die hard, she thought, sullenly.

      Seeing that Amy was now sullen, Kristen tried to cheer her up.  "I can't say for sure if he was going to hide somewhere.  It's not like he can hide anywhere, right?  His apartment's burned out for another day, and there's no space to stay at that one place, right?  Besides, nothing's been decided yet."

      Amy smiled at her efforts.  "Thanks for the reassurance, kiddo.  Now, let's get to bed.  It's only Thursday."  With that, the two headed for the back room to go to sleep.  I hope you're right, Kris.  Amy thought to herself.

            _Downtown Miami, Florida.  6:27 A.M.  Valentine's Day._

      "I am taking a big gambit," Sonic muttered, returning from a florist with a couple of roses.  As you guessed it, Vasquez's words had persuaded him to face his feelings head on.  He had come back to Amy's place undetected late last night, and had left undetected.  For all she knew, he could have skipped town on her.  "I am taking a very big gambit."  He repeated.  From here on out, it wouldn't be business as usual for him with Amy.  Where would this take them?

      He eased his bike around the corner to where Amy's apartment complex was.  He saw that her car wasn't there.  "Oh, that's right!  She took Kristen to school."  He parked his bike in the garage behind his complex, and ran across the street to Amy's complex.

            _Amy's apartment.  Same time._

      During the time it took to get to her apartment, Sonic had mentally written out an entire speech to say to Amy, about his feelings for her, how he was stupid for running from her, etc.  He thought she'd be back momentarily, so he just sat on the couch with the roses in his hand.  However, it only took about ten minutes before he fell asleep, the roses still in his hand.

      Some time later, he felt something light and soft incessantly caressing his cheek, but it wasn't enough to wake him.  At first, he thought it was his shirt collar, but when it began to softly tickle his neck, he knew something was amiss.  He cracked open one eye, and bolted upright in surprise when it focused on Amy grinning, kneeling with one of his roses in her hand, and gently tracing it along his cheek and neck.  

      Sonic couldn't form any words in his mouth to speak.  Worse yet, it seemed his mind turned into an etch-and-sketch, and erased his entire speech from memory when he bolted upright.  So, Amy took initiative.  "Good morning, Sonikku."  She said softly.

      "A-A-Amy!"  Sonic got up and started to pace, trying to clear his jumbled mind.  Damn!  And he had an entire speech planned.  It would've helped if he hadn't fallen asleep.  "Uhh… um, I."  He hit himself in the head, as if that would get his brain to function better and took a deep breath.  To begin with, he presented her with the other rose.  "Y'know, I had an entire speech written in my head."  For the first time, he noticed that the roses were close to the same color as Amy's quills.

      She smiled, accepting the rose, and placing it in a vase.  "Oh, yeah?"

      He took a deep breath, resting both hands on her shoulders.  "Yeah.  Remember Vasquez from Operation Blackbeard?"  When Amy nodded, he continued.  "Well, I met him at the pool hall yesterday, and we talked.  He gave me some sage advice, advice that convinced me to deal with my feelings head on."  He laughed a little before adding.  "To tell you the truth, before the talk I was scared of potentially how deep my feelings could be, and the consequences.  For that, I'm an idiot."

      Amy blinked.  "Consequences?"

      Sonic nodded.  "Yeah.  At first, I feared that falling in love would distract me from fighting Eggman, and I didn't want you agonizing over me if I get killed someday.  That was the reason I tried to avoid getting close."

      Amy nodded understandingly.  After a while, she spoke.  "Being in love can also make you stronger, you know.  Also, I've gotten a lot stronger since ARK.  I know how dangerous your world can be.  I accepted that when I decided to be a part of everyone's life."

      Sonic blinked.  "Heh.  Y'know, Vasquez pretty much said the same thing to me.  Anyways, I think you made your feelings for me clear over the years."  He paused again.  "Only mine aren't that clear."

      Smiling a little, Amy took his hands in hers.  "Y'know, that's pretty much what Kristen told me."

      "She told you, huh?"  Sonic smiled a little.  For a while, the two just gazed at each other, still holding hands.  It was then when his feelings became crystal clear.  He did love her after all.  But, it was no longer in a brotherly way.  But, now, the kind shared between a man and a woman.  "Y'know, I wanna make up for all of the V-14 Days that I skirted on you."  Their faces unconsciously drifted closer.

      "Oh, really?"  She said coyly.  "And how do you plan to do that?"  She had a pretty good idea of what he was planning from the proximity of his face to hers.

      Okay, point of no return, Sonic thought.  Chips are down.  It's all or nothing.  He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and their lips met.

      Amy felt her knees give way at first and she wrapped her arms around him for support.  At first, the kiss started out soft and virginal, but as it continued, it became more and more passionate.  The only thing that kept it from going on was the need for air, and the two reluctantly parted after about a minute.  "I love you, Sonikku.  I always have."

      That single kiss reinforced Sonic's feelings for her.  There was no mistaking it, now.  "I love you, Amy."

      She leapt for joy inwardly.  She finally had his affection, and after attempting after several long years of futility.  She smiled up at him, hugging him tighter.  "Remember when I said that things happen for a reason when your apartment caught fire?"

      He chuckled.  "Oh, yeah.  I also said if that was divine intervention, I wanted another God.  Well, everything worked out.  He's still okay in my book."

      After a while, she spoke softly.  "Happy Valentine's Day, Sonikku."

      "Right back at you, Ames."

Author:  ***HACK* *WHEEZE*  *COUGH* **It's too smoky in here.  I'm opening the cockpit.  (Opens cockpit, only for Sonic to grab both occupants by the throat and hold in the air.)

Sonic:  YOU!!  I will stay single, even if I have to—"

Author:  (choking) Too late, man.  It's already in the books.  You're spoken for!

Sonic:  (Drops author) Damn!  (Looks at Shadow) Then, I can at least take out your supplier!

Author:  Too late for that!  We're goin' back to rehab, son.

Sonic:  (Drops Shadow) Damn!  Well, I'm still gonna work you over for this!

Author:  Lay one finger on me, and I'll have you and Amy in front of the altar!  (Sonic stops.) And believe me, it'll hurt me more than it'll hurt you.  I wanna get back to writing about big guns and killing just as much as you do.

Sonic:  Fine.  I'll let you go this time.  (Runs off)

Author:  (Gets back in cockpit) Well, now to get back to rehab so that I'll be back in my right mind.  (Gundam X flies off)

BOOYAH!!!  I did it!  My first romance.  I gotta admit it was pretty hard for me to write this since I'm nowhere near a romantic.  Anyways, leave your comments and such in review form, please.  Also, I have another story in the works.  Of course, the Miami gang will return, with Rouge, and I'm almost sure that Nack, or Fang, or whoever you call him will play a key part in my next story.  Tentative title:  Love The Treason… But Hate The Traitor.  Till next time, Peace!


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